14 replies to this topic

[Smilin' Kyle]

I'm having to think about selling my 2008 FJR. There are so many scams out there waiting to rip you off when you sell something. Any pointers so it doesn't happen to me if I go ahead and sell?

I feel ill. I'm going to go lay down now.

[escapefjrtist]

Listen to your little voice...if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

Lots of scams, especially on CL, but you just have to weed through the garbage. Test rides are always the biggest question. Use your own judgement, and talk to your insurance company first.

Sorry about the [proposed] sale. Good luck!

--G

[Ignacio]

There are so many scams out there waiting to rip you off when you sell something. A

There are only scams out there for people that get scammed. Don't get scammed.

You wanna ride it or buy it....cash. You get the title when it's in my hand. If a check....we first go to your bank and trade it for cash.

You want me to deliver it somewhere? Sure! Just send a check and once I can trade it for cash I'll then deliver it.

[JamesW]

Cash at the vehicle reg. office and title transferred at that time. Sold a car to a close friend, he gave me $$ and I signed title, he died a few days later dragracing on the highway and a few days later I was contacted by the state, they wanted to know who my insurance carrier was. That will get your attention.

[Adrum]

If you get an email from some guy who wants to pay asking price for your bike but he has to pay through paypal because he's buying the bike for his dad (or someone else) and is currently out to sea on some ship and doesn't have access to his bank account but does somehow have access to paypal, it's a scam.

(Seriously, this is actually a current scam going around craigslist -- I got this very email when I posted by bagger for sale recently, and have seen the scam mentioned in other ads on CL.)

[THE919]

E-bay is a pretty good tool, but remember that they charge $120 to sell + paypal fees around 3% of the final value. E-bay also has free classifieds, it's similar to cycle trader and it's free. Cycle trader has 2 weeks of free advertisement per e-mail. You can create several e-mail addresses and advertise for free.
If you decide to go craiglist route, pretty good rule of thumb is that people who are truly interested will provide the phone number in their e-mail, the rest are either low-ballers or scam. Before you reply to the craiglist e-mails you can quickly google the name of that person. There are a lot of craigslist forums that track scammers.

Edited by THE919, 05 April 2012 - 03:55 AM.

[Afast03nNJ]

eBay is the way to go. I've sold multiple vehicles on eBay and have never had a problem. The final value fees are now fixed and go by two tiers of selling price.
But the trick is to set the reserve high, put a high buy it now and negotiate outside of eBay and make the sale. At that point you can take the auction down stating the reason of it not being available anymore. (sold locally). Total cost will only be 11 bucks.

Write a detailed ad, take ALOT of detailed pictures of a very clean and shine vehicle.

Good luck!

[Bounce]

Cash up front. No test ride. 30 minutes grace time after time of sale to change their mind and bring it back (unscathed) for a refund.

[Rheal]

I'm having to think about selling my 2008 FJR. There are so many scams out there waiting to rip you off when you sell something. Any pointers so it doesn't happen to me if I go ahead and sell?

I feel ill. I'm going to go lay down now.

Kyle,
I wouldn't worry too much! Your have the bike in hand and some honest people out there will want it. Like in any sale, it is up to both parties to negotiate to reach agreement. So as others said, "Listen to your inner ear" and "if it sounds too good to be true ...":

Basically, if ypou meet the person, he/she has cash in hand (or the equivalent of a bank draft), and you transfer the ownership together .... you are home free and happy. Happy that is, except that you no longer own an FJR!

Be well!

[kamal]

There are only scams out there for people that get scammed. Don't get scammed.

You wanna ride it or buy it....cash. You get the title when it's in my hand. If a check....we first go to your bank and trade it for cash.

You want me to deliver it somewhere? Sure! Just send a check and once I can trade it for cash I'll then deliver it.

+1 on this advice.

I just sold my '05 V-Strom through Kijiji (called eBay Classifieds in the US), I've given up on Craigslist.
Here's an example:
http://seattle.ebayc...pe/?ad=17987071

Good luck on your sale.

Al.

[jcyuhn]

It's not that big a deal. If something feels wrong, tell the other party no. I'll take a shot at laying down a couple of rules:

#1: Make sure the funds are good. If the buyer pays cash, meet at your bank so the bills can be checked by an experienced teller. There are counterfeit $100 bills out there. If the buyer wants to pay by cashiers check, meet at their bank and go to the teller window with them while the check is pulled. Or telephone the bank to confirm the cashiers check, they will be happy to do so over the phone (look up the phone number rather than using one on the check itself).

#2: Go to the DMV office with the buyer and transfer title/registration to them. Or in some states you can inform the state that you have sold a vehicle and give some information about the buyer. This protects you if the buyer does not immediately register it and gets some parking tickets, etc. Your state will have a web site with information on such procedures. Know whether to keep the plates or if they go with the bike.

#3: Test rides. Subjective call here. If a buyer rides up on a Concours 14 it's probably OK to let them ride the FJR. I have done the cash-in-the-hand-while-you-ride-it thing before, but it may be harder with a bike as expensive as an FJR - most buyers will probably be taking out loan, so don't have the cash on hand. It's a lot easier to sell a bike if you let someone ride it first, so you need to find the right balance between risk and reward here.

I'm sure someone will now come along and tell me how wrong all these rules are...

[deang]

You could call some local motorcycle dealers and see if they will sell it on consignment.

People have tried to scam me when I was trying to sell stuff on Craigslist, I have received the "I'm out to sea" one as well. What I have done and the emails stopped immediately from the sender, nothing will be shipped until funds have been secured and an unknown shipper is used.

Good luck and hope you decide not to sell.

[gixxerjasen]

Or in some states you can inform the state that you have sold a vehicle and give some information about the buyer.

Yup, check up on this for your location. Texas actually has the form attached to the title. You tear off the top, fill it out and mail it in, then sign over the lower title part to the buyer. Easy.

Best way to not get ripped off....sell it on FJRForum.com.

[DeweyIsgod]

a bit of advice - Create a new email address specifically for the sale. Hotmail, Gmail, yahoo, etc.

Many of the fake responses that you get on craigslist are just trying to get email addresses to add to spam lists. That way, you can respond to as many emails as you think may be legitimate without worry. Some of their inquiries may sound very real.

I've done fine buying and selling through craigslist. I always closed the deal by getting a copy of their drivers license. Most illegitimate folks will have an issue giving you that.

[Gerry.GEG]

I've always thought selling here is ideal. Fly and ride offers. you fly in, stay one night at my place, cash or cashiers check that clears the next day or better yet, wire trans to your bank account. have the bike ready for anyone who's riding back to their home. I think that has worked well for many here and if you price your bike right and fairly you'd probably have a buyer here. Personally, I would not let anyone test ride my FJR. They either know what they want or don't. If it fires right up and you have maintenance records that's good enough. Once you have your cash in a bank account they can ride till their hearts content. Once title is signed over, send in your state's sellers report and your covered from that day on even if they don't transfer the title. Not your problem after the report is sent.

Someone made a suggestion to let someone have 30 minutes to bring it back.

I never allow for returns. People are weird and you could go through all the trouble of selling and have some dumb-ass get buyer's remorse. I've seen it happen and I want to throttle these people! Some just don't think before they buy and worse yet are those who just can't commit.

Hey, you can't commit, Not my problem bud, You didn't ask your wife, I don't care, I sold it to you in good faith - I expect the same from you.

Good luck with your sale.